Build Me Up, Break Me Down
by lucklessdreamer
Summary: Quinn decides on Wednesday that she's going to keep the baby. On Friday, she finds herself homeless. And by Friday afternoon, she's living with Rachel Berry. Quinn/Rachel friendship. Heavy on Puck/Rachel. With a smidge of Finn/Rachel & Finn/Quinn.
1. Chapter 1

_**December**_

Quinn decides on Wednesday that she's going to keep the baby.

On Friday, she finds herself homeless.

And by Friday afternoon, she's living with Rachel Berry.

---

Rachel invites Quinn to stay with her because she feels partially responsible for her current living situation - she was the one who told Finn, after all, even if she thought it was the right thing to do - and because no one else extends the same offer to her. Quinn begrudgingly accepts (although she briefly considers living in her car).

She shows up to Rachel's house Friday after school with the two suitcases her life now fits neatly into. She's welcomed inside by Rachel's fathers and big, warm hugs. She's not used to hugging, so it takes her a second to respond in kind.

They chatter on about how glad they are she's staying with them while Quinn searches the entryway for Rachel. She finds her standing quietly by the stairs. It's rare not to see her talking a million miles a minute. They share a smile before Rachel's fathers take her on a tour of the house.

The gist of the tour is this: she's welcome anywhere in the house and she's welcome to whatever food she finds in the fridge - which is mostly leftover takeout because no one really cooks.

They end the tour at her new bedroom, which is located at the top of the stairs, next to Rachel's room. It's decorated in shades of blue and comes with its own bathroom. It reminds Quinn of a hotel room with fluffy white towels stacked neatly at the edge of the bed and little squares of chocolates on the pillows.

"We know it's not the Ritz or anything…"

"No!" Quinn quickly snaps. "It's perfect, really."

Both of the men smile kindly at her while Rachel lingers silently in the doorway.

"I think that old crib of Rachel's would fit nicely in here," one of Rachel's fathers - who Quinn has learned is Adam (her other, blacker father is Brian) - muses, looking over the space. "That is, if you'd like to stay with us after the baby's born."

"Well, we'll leave you to get settled. Make yourself comfortable. Our home is your home," Brian tells her.

They hug her again and leave her alone in her new room, shutting the door behind them as they go.

When she hears their footsteps disappear down the stairs, she breaks down into tears. Because no one has been this nice - this genuinely nice - to her before.

And then she eats all four chocolates that were left on her pillows.

---

Quinn doesn't realize she's tired until she hears a knock on her bedroom door that wakes her up. She's pushing herself up into a sitting position just as Rachel's coming through the door with a silver tray in her hands.

"We didn't want to wake you up for dinner," Rachel tells her as she enters. "But, I figured you'd be pretty hungry, so I brought you up a tray. Hope you like Chinese," she says hopefully as she sets the tray down on the bed before taking a step back.

"Thank you," Quinn tells her softly, her mouth already full of food.

Rachel stands silently, watching Quinn as she plays with the hem of her skirt nervously.

"Did you want to sit down?" Quinn asks, nodding to the end of the bed.

Cautiously, Rachel settles herself down on the edge of the bed. Though she is in her own home and she knows perfectly well all of Quinn's imperfections, flaws, and wrongdoings, she still feels intimidated by the girl sitting across from her.

"Your dads are really nice," Quinn says in between bites.

"Thanks. Sorry if they're a little… overbearing. They can get like that sometimes. If it made you uncomfortable or anything, I can talk to them about toning it down a notch."

"No, it's okay. I'm just not used to people - especially adults - treating me like that."

"Like what? Nice?"

Quinn nods.

"I can understand that."

Quinn looks away and she feels every bit as guilty as she knows she should.

"My dads are really great people and they're actually really excited that you're here. It makes them think that I actually have a friend or something." She laughs before jumping from the bed and waving her hand in the air, like if moves fast enough it wont hurt. "They said you could stay as long as you'd like, so you don't have to worry about finding a place to stay. Not even after the baby's born."

"That's really nice of them. I don't want to impose…"

"You're not. Trust me. I'll let you finish your dinner," she tells her as she quickly makes her way to the door.

"Hey Rachel?" Quinn calls. "Thank you."

"For dinner? Don't worry about."

"No. I mean, yes, thank you for dinner. But that's not what I meant. Thank you - for everything."

Rachel smiles before she bounds out of the room.

---

At school, Quinn does everything in her power to avoid Puck.

Puck attempts to avoid Finn (unable to face the betrayal in his best friend's eyes).

Finn ignores everyone, especially Quinn and Puck.

Rachel, well, Rachel tries to ignore how much it _kills _her that all of this is happening. And that Finn has lumped her in with Quinn and Puck and ignores her, too.

---

Both girls are thankful for winter break.

It gives them a break from being ignored by Finn and trying to ignore Puck.

Although Puck becomes harder to ignore when he shows up on Rachel's doorstep and begs her to talk to Quinn because she doesn't return his phone calls or texts and his mom's on his case about taking responsibility for his child. And about meeting the mother of her grandchild.

Rachel always turns him away, albeit with a bit of sympathy, and reports back to Quinn about what he said this time. And can't help but chime in that maybe she should give him a break. He is trying, after all.

Quinn's response is always the same: She does not need or want Puck. She can do this alone.

---

Rachel's dads invite Quinn to celebrate Hanukkah with them, but she politely declines their offer. She watches from the top of the stairs each night, though.

On Christmas morning, Quinn wakes up and feels the absence of her parents acutely. But when she stumbles downstairs to find something to eat, she is surprised with a Christmas tree and presents from Rachel and her fathers.

It's the best Christmas she can ever remember having.

She's so happy that she forgets her parents and gives Rachel a hug.

---

On New Year's Eve, Quinn finds herself with no plans. Friends stopped calling around the same time she started showing, so her evenings are usually free. But she finds that even on this night, she doesn't mind because Rachel doesn't have plans either and suggests they eat pizza and watch the ball drop.

Rachel even paints Quinn's toes because it's getting hard for her to reach.

"What's your resolution going to be?" Rachel asks when they're huddled up in Rachel's bed and there's only a few more minutes to go before the new year arrives.

Quinn shrugs. "I don't know. I don't really have one."

"What?!" Rachel gasps in horror. "How can you not have a resolution? I have a list of seventy-two."

"Seventy-two?" Quinn laughs in disbelief. "Most people don't even keep their resolutions. It seems pointless."

"I had eighty-eight in 2009 and I kept all but one."

"Which one?"

"I'd rather not say…" She looks away from Quinn and plays with the edge of the thick quilt that's wrapped around them.

"Oh, come on. What was it?"

She lets out a long breath before she finally says, "Get a boyfriend."

"Oh." She clamps her mouth shut before she finally says, "Maybe you're better off without."

"Maybe," she sighs.

They count down to the new year and sing Auld Lang Syne together after Rachel insists. When the ball drops they toast to the new year with sparkling cider in fancy champagne flutes.

As they're starting to drift to sleep, long after the ball has dropped and Rachel insists in just a few years she'll be right there, in the heart of the action, she tells Quinn that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't need a list of seventy-two resolutions. Maybe she'll just resolve to be a better person.

Quinn decides to resolve to do the same thing. But she keeps it to herself and doesn't tell Rachel.

---

_**January**_

When Puck shows up at Rachel's house on the first day of the new year, Quinn reminds herself of her (secret) new year's resolution and finally speaks to him.

Rachel and Puck are equally as shocked when they see the blonde descend down the stairs. Although she tells Puck what she always says to Rachel: she can do this on her own.

And Puck tells her what he always says to Rachel: he's not going to be a dead beat dad and he will be there for his kid.

They stand at an impasse when they've both said their piece.

Puck is the first to speak and says, "Just, please. Come over to my house for dinner. My mom's dying to meet you and I'm going to lose my freaking mind if I have to listen to her nag about it any more. I mean, you are the mother of my kid and maybe I'm not a decent guy or the guy you wanna raise a kid with, but hell, my mom's not so bad. Please, Quinn."

"Fine," she sighs, reluctantly.

Puck leaves happily after he extracts a promise from her that she'll come over Sunday at six for dinner.

"You have to come with me," Quinn begs Rachel once he's gone.

"What? No."

"Please, Rachel. She'll like you - you're a nice Jewish girl."

"She'll like you, too. You're… the girl he got pregnant."

"Exactly. She probably already hates me. Please, Rachel?"

"Fine, I'll go."

"I owe you!" Quinn practically squeals before she throws her arms around Rachel.

---

Dinner at the Puckerman's is just as awkward as everyone expects it to be.

Mrs. Puckerman tries to mask her disappointment with questions that come out as forced and icy. Puck's little sister, Hannah, stares at Quinn and her rounded stomach throughout dinner. And Puck just sits silent and sullen at the dinner table.

Rachel just feels out of place as she sits around the dinner table with them.

"And you're in the glee club as well, right dear?" Mrs. Puckerman asks Rachel when she's run out of things to say to Quinn and the room is silent.

"Yes, Mrs. Puckerman."

"And very talented from what Noah says about you."

Rachel glances over at Puck who's head is bowed and she can't help but blush. "Thank you. Maybe you could come see us perform. Noah's very talented as well. You'd be very proud."

"Funny," Mrs. Puckerman says with her lips turned up into a smile for the first time in the evening. "I've never heard any of Noah's friends call him by his first name."

"Well Noah's a good, Hebrew name. Much better than Puck."

"I agree. Just like Rachel's a lovely Hebrew name. Are you Jewish, dear?"

"Yes, I am."

Mrs. Puckerman's smile grows. "Really? How lovely!"

"Mom," Puck growls and he's scowling at her from across the table.

She smiles sharply at her son and then turns her attention back to Quinn, asking, "So, Quinn, do you have any plans to give the baby a Hebrew name?"

And the night is all downhill from there.

When Rachel and Quinn finally leave and Noah is forced to do the dishes, his mother joins him in the kitchen and practically squeals, "Noah, she is just lovely."

"See, I told you you'd like her."

"No, not Quinn. _Rachel_. Why couldn't you have gotten a nice Jewish girl like her pregnant instead? I bet she'd give the baby a Hebrew name."

"Jesus, mom."

---

When school starts again, Rachel and Quinn drive together and they sit together at lunch.

Everyone assumes they're friends now.

They both deny it.

---

_**February**_

Finn begins talking to Rachel again.

They talk and laugh and slowly, they begin to flirt again. He even kisses her backstage after rehearsals one evening.

He asks her out on a proper date for Valentine's Day.

She accepts before the words even leave his mouth.

She thinks it's all she's ever wanted until she's forced to tell Quinn and she sees the blonde's eyes cloud over with sadness. But Quinn still insists that she goes.

---

On Valentine's Day, Quinn helps Rachel get ready for her date.

Quinn is quick to reject every dress that Rachel tries on and eventually decides just to lend her a dress that she no longer fits into. She curls her hair and applies her makeup before declaring her a success.

"Do you think Finn will like it?" Rachel asks nervously as she smoothes the white dress down over her hips.

"Of course he will," Quinn assures her with a sad smile.

Rachel wants to ask if she's sure this is okay, but she's scared she'll say no and when she's so close to Finn finally beings hers, she can't bring herself to form the words and instead chooses to smile.

"I'm going to grab some leftover pizza before he comes so you can have the downstairs to yourselves."

"Thanks, Quinn," Rachel tells her and she hopes she knows it's for more than just the privacy.

---

Rachel hears the doorbell not more than thirty seconds after Quinn has left her room. She takes a deep breath, smoothes down her dress and hair, and spares one last glance in the mirror before she makes her way downstairs.

Her heart is racing in anticipation and it takes everything she has not to run down the stairs. All her dreams are finally coming true and it's hard not to race towards them.

She finds Finn already inside, at the bottom of the steps. He's standing next to Quinn, but they are both silent and their eyes are trained on the floor.

"Finn," she breathes and she feels her smile spreading wide across her face.

"Rachel, hey," he greets her and when he looks up from the floor, he smiles lopsidedly. "You look…" He glances nervously over at Quinn. "I brought you these," he says, holding up a box of heart-shaped chocolates.

"Thank you." She takes the box of chocolates from him and she feels her heart skip when her fingers brush against his. "That was really sweet of you."

"So, are you ready?" he asks, peeking over at Quinn once more.

"Yes, definitely." She hands the chocolates to Quinn haphazardly and waves goodbye to her before she leaves the house, hand-in-hand with Finn.

---

Rachel's never been on a date before but she's certain her date with Finn is _perfect_.

He opens the doors for her, lets her pick any station she'd like on the radio, and lets her order anything she'd like on the menu of the fancy restaurant he takes her to. After dinner, he helps her into her coat and holds her hand back to the car.

He's the perfect gentleman and Rachel believes the wait was truly worth. Those months of seeing him with Quinn and the months of him ignoring her were all worth it for one perfect night.

When they arrive back at her house, he walks her to the front door.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Finn," she gushes and hopes he'll kiss her.

And he does. He presses his lips carefully to hers and kisses her sweetly.

"My dads are in Columbus for the night, for Valentine's Day, so you could come in if you wanted to," she suggests.

"I want to," he tells her quickly.

She smiles and takes his hand, pulling him inside.

---

With her fingers wrapped around his, Rachel leads him up the steps, towards her bedroom.

At the top of the stairs, she presses a finger to her lips and motions for him to be quiet as they pass Quinn's bedroom.

But when they do pass her closed bedroom door, Rachel stops abruptly and listens carefully to what she's certain is crying.

"What?" Finn whispers.

"Quinn. I should check on her."

Finn groans and throws his head back in frustration, but Rachel ignores him, tapping softly on Quinn's door before she lets herself in.

She finds Quinn in bed, the TV flickering quietly, and the box of chocolates Finn brought open beside her.

"Are you okay?"

"Stupid movie," Quinn sniffles, nodding her head towards the TV. She glares at the offensive TV before she turns it off. "How was your date with… oh, hi Finn," she says when she spots him in the doorway.

"Um, hey, Quinn," he says, jamming his hands in his pockets as he tries to look anywhere but at Quinn.

"I ate all of your chocolates," Quinn confesses. "Sorry," she adds sheepishly.

"It's okay. Let me go get you a glass of milk. Maybe the two of you could… talk," she suggests, looking between them. "I think you have a lot to discuss," she adds before pushing Finn inside Quinn's room.

---

Rachel takes her time getting Quinn a glass of milk.

There still exists a part of her that is threatened by Quinn's relationship with Finn, but after her date with him, she assures herself (repeatedly) that she has absolutely nothing to worry about.

Her faith in him slips just a little when she brings Quinn her milk and they ask her for just a few more minutes to discuss the things that have been building between them for the last three months.

She knows she has pushed them into this and it really will be in the best interest of the glee club if Finn and Quinn can coexist again. So, she leaves them with a smile and goes back downstairs to wait in the darkness.

---

Rachel is startled by the insistent knock at the front door and she almost hesitates to answer it, but she does so and finds Puck standing on her porch.

"Noah," she breathes in surprise.

"Quinn here?"

"Yes. But she's upstairs… talking to Finn right now." When she sees his face fall and his eyes focus on his shoes, she asks, "Would you like to come in and wait?"

"Sure," he shrugs and steps inside.

Rachel sits down gracefully on the sofa and Puck joins her, plopping down unceremoniously beside her.

"Why are you all dressed up?" he asks, looking her over. In the dark living room, her white dress makes her pop. "Have a hot date or something?" he snorts.

"Yes, actually," she says defensively. "I went out with Finn. It was lovely."

"Yeah, I can tell, since he's upstairs in Quinn's bedroom right now."

Rachel ignores him, but her eyes narrow and she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Is that Quinn's dress?"

Her head snaps up and she looks at him with her eyes wide and her mouth parted slightly. It takes her a few tries but she finally answers meekly, "Yes."

"Oh, Rach," he laughs, "that's twisted. Even for you."

She rolls her eyes and wants to throw a witty comeback at him - make him sorry for thinking the thing she's sure he's thinking right now - but all she can do is sigh heavily and fall back against the couch.

The sit in silence, beside one another, in the darkness for a long beat.

Rachel finally says: "She ate all my chocolates from Finn."

Puck hops up from the sofa and extends his hand to her. "Come on."

"What?"

"Come on," he repeats, curling his hand around hers. "We're not going to just sit here and wait around for them anymore. I'm sick of waiting for her. And whether you'll admit it or not, you're sick of waiting for him.

"Noah," she laughs uneasily, but she does not resist when he pulls her up from the sofa with one easy tug of her hand.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know."

Rachel only laughs and as is common practice when she is with Puck, she abandons reason and chooses to follow him blindly out of the house and into his truck.

Besides, it's hard to think of anything, even Finn and their perfect date, when Puck's hand is wrapped warmly around hers in the cool night air.

---

"You don't have heat?"

"Jesus," he swears rolling his eyes. "Sorry, princess, no heat."

Rachel rubs her hands down her bare arms, trying to create some friction and chase away the goose bumps there.

"Oh, come on, drama queen," he huffs. He grips her shoulder and pulls her across the bench seat until she's tucked against his side. He keeps one hand on the steering wheel and wraps the other around her shoulders.

"Better?" he asks after a moment.

"Much." She looks up at him, but he has his eyes trained on the road. She whispers a thank you and she swears she sees him smile.

They drive around Lima aimlessly in silence before Puck takes her back home.

---

Rachel's faith in Finn is renewed when they return to her house and Finn's car is still parked out front.

"He must be wondering where I am," Rachel says to Puck, but tries to keep the excitement out of her voice for his sake.

Puck rolls his eyes, but gets out of the truck and follows her inside. Rachel can't help but notice he doesn't open doors for her like Finn does.

The house is just as dim and as quiet as when they left it and it makes Rachel's heart drop.

"Don't say it," she warns Puck.

He opens his mouth to say it, but the fierce look in her eyes makes him reconsider.

He follows her silently as she marches up the steps and he stays close when she opens the door to Quinn's bedroom. He's even there to catch her as she sags against him when she finds Quinn and Finn asleep.

Puck closes the door to Quinn's bedroom and leads Rachel by the hand to her own. He remembers the way easily enough.

"I really thought we had a lovely time," she cries once she's inside the safety of her own bedroom. "I thought he'd finally be mine."

When he sees the tears well up in her eyes, all Puck can do is wrap his arms around her when she launches herself at him.

"I'll just never be her, will I?" she asks, looking up at him with wide, wet eyes. She pushes herself out of his arms. "And this stupid dress. What was I thinking?"

For a second, Puck thinks she's going to take it off right there and he's so alarmed, he thinks he'd even try to stop her if she did.

But instead of reaching for the zipper, she reaches for him and wraps herself around him, her head pressed to his chest. His hands come down around her and he almost thinks she's not so bad when she's quiet and warm like this.

---

When Rachel wakes up in the morning, she finds Puck gone (she doesn't remember him leaving) and her dads home, in the kitchen, with Quinn while Finn cooks them breakfast.

"Oh, hi honey," her dad greets her, smiling at her over a cup of coffee. "Finn was kind enough to make us breakfast. Join us."

She tells them she's sick and rushes back to her room to throw up.

---

"It's not what you think," Quinn tells her as she sets a glass of ginger ale on her nightstand. "Believe what you want about me and I realize I don't have the best evidence backing me up," she gestures to her protruding stomach, "but nothing happened between us. We just feel asleep. We talked, like you begged us to, and then fell asleep."

Rachel sips at her ginger ale, regarding Quinn over the rim of the glass.

"He didn't wait for me. He didn't even know I left," she sighs sadly.

"You left last night?"

"Yes. Noah and I…"

"You went out with Puck?" she gasps in surprise and her voice pitches higher than she intends it to.

"You ate my chocolates."

---

Quinn buys Rachel a new box of chocolates and lets her eat most of them in way of an apology.

"I am sorry, you know," Quinn tells her. "I didn't mean to ruin your night."

"Do you still love him?" Rachel asks her bluntly.

Quinn looks down at the half-eaten box of chocolates that sits between them in her bed. "Yes," she whispers.

"What about Noah?"

"I never loved him. I just… I had a momentary lapse of judgment."

"That led to a lifelong commitment," she reminds her, nodding towards her stomach.

"I can't take back what's already happened. If I could, I never would have had sex with Puck. I probably never would have lied about it to begin with. I never wanted to hurt Finn, it just spiraled out of control so quickly. I was scared and I didn't know what to do. I knew that I didn't want to lose Finn. I knew that he'd be a good dad."

"If you want to be with Finn again…" she takes a deep breath, bracing herself for what she's about to say, "I wont stand in your way."

"Trust me, I've stood in my own way," Quinn tells her. "I'm the one who's lied to him and hurt him. Maybe he can forgive me because he's Finn and he's way too sweet for his own good, but… I've done too much damage."

"Not if he loves you."

"Why are you even saying this? This is your chance - this is what you wanted to begin with - to be with Finn."

"Not if he doesn't want to be with me," she breathes and the words hurt her heart.

"You know, Rachel, I don't know why you don't have any friends. You really are a good one."

Rachel smiles in response, but she still eats the last chocolate as payback.

---

Finn shuffles over to Rachel at school, his hands in his pockets and his head hung.

"I really am sorry about the other night, Rachel," he tells her earnestly. "We just talked, though. Nothing happened, I swear."

"I know," she tells him.

He smiles and lets out a sigh of relief. "Let me make it up to you. We can do anything you want."

"I don't know, Finn," she breathes and she feels that familiar aching in her chest.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't think we're going to work."

He looks genuinely shocked and Rachel almost thinks she's making a mistake. But she's made her decision and she must follow through.

"What do you mean? Rachel, we've waited this long…"

"No, _I've_ waited this long. I waited while you were with Quinn and then I waited after you found out about the baby and ignored us all for three months. I thought that it would be worth it, because I was really who you wanted to be with…"

"You are," he assures her.

"We're both just kidding ourselves. It's never been me. It's always been _her_."

"Her? Who?" She looks at him meaningfully. "Quinn?" he asks.

"Yes, Quinn. Even after everything, I know there's something between you."

"Rachel, come on…"

She forces a smile before she walks away from him. She is more certain with every step she takes that this is the hardest thing she'll ever have to do.

---

"You're earning yourself the title of heartbreaker," Puck whispers into her ear before practice one day and his warm breath against her neck makes her tense.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on. First, you break up with me. And now you dump Finn? Prince Charming, man of your dreams, Finn Hudson?"

"It just wasn't working out. It was built on a fantasy."

"Just like our relationship?" he asks, his eyebrow arched deviously.

Her eyes narrow and she answers with a resounding "yes" before she moves to walk past him.

He grabs her wrist and prevents her from getting away. "You know," he says, "not all fantasies are bad." He tugs on her wrist and pulls her even further into him, putting his lips against her ear, "They can actually be really, really good."

---


	2. Chapter 2

_**March**_

Rachel and Quinn usually spend their Friday nights together. They eat pizza and ice cream and watch movies in bed.

Rachel thinks this might be what normal high school girls do with their friends.

But then she remembers none of this is normal.

Not her pregnant house guest or the fact that her pregnant house guest is secretly seeing her ex-boyfriend who is not the father of her child.

And Rachel can't help but feel a pull towards the actual father of her house-guest-turned-sort-of-friend. She knows that is not normal.

"I swear this kid is going to be a soccer player," Quinn groans as she shifts beside Rachel.

"Or a dancer," Rachel chimes. "Is she kicking again?" Quinn nods, rubbing a hand over her stomach. "Would it be okay if I felt it?"

"Sure," Quinn says and takes her hand, placing it over her stomach.

Rachel waits in anticipation, but feels nothing tap against her palm.

"I can't feel anything."

"Sing," Quinn tells her.

Without second though, Rachel sings the only lullaby she remembers to Quinn's stomach. Her voice is soft and dreamy and before long, she is rewarded with feeling the baby kick against her hand.

"That's amazing!" Rachel says excitedly, her eyes round. "She's going to be a singer and a dancer. You're destined for Broadway, baby," Rachel says to Quinn's stomach and squeals in delight when she feels the baby again.

---

When Puck misses a day of school, Rachel brings his homework to his house.

"Hi Hannah, is Noah here?" she asks when his little sister pulls open the door and looks Rachel over skeptically.

"Yup. He's in his room. He's kinda cranky today, so you might wanna stay down here and play with me instead."

"Thanks, but I think I'll take my chances with him," she tells her and then makes her way up the stairs after she gets directions to Puck's room from Hannah.

She knocks at his door and waits patiently for him to open it or for him to call out for her to enter, but he never does. So, she let's herself in and finds him hunched over in a chair, an X-Box controller in his hands.

"Hannah, I told you to leave me alone," he barks, not even bothering to look up from the TV.

"Noah," she calls out softly.

He spins around at the sound of his name and drops his controller when he sees her standing by his door.

"Rachel." He hops up. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't at school today. So I brought you your homework." She holds up the neat folder of papers she brought with her.

"Rachel," he scoffs. "I hardly ever go to school. And I never do my homework."

"Right," she sighs and sets the folder down on the desk next to the door.

"Why did you really come?"

"I just… I wanted to make sure that you were okay. I know you don't normally go to classes, but you normally show up to glee."

"What, are you stalking me now?" he asks, but it's not cruel the way he says it, especially not when his eyes light up.

"You wish," she tells him with a roll of her eyes but she's smirking.

"Uh… do you wanna sit or something?" he asks, gesturing towards his bed.

"Sure," she agrees though eyes him warily before taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

"How's Quinn? And the baby?"

"They're both doing very well. The doctor said they're both measuring perfectly. I felt the baby kick the other day, too."

Puck's eyes widen. "Really? Cool," he whispers dreamily.

"I sang to her and she kicked. Maybe you could come over and sing to her and she'll kick for you, too."

"I don't think Quinn would like that."

Puck breathes out slowly before plopping down beside Rachel on the bed.

"I really do want to be a part of my baby's life," Puck tells her quietly, looking straight ahead instead of at her. "I know Quinn doesn't think I'd be a good dad - that's why she told Finn he was the baby's dad - and maybe I'm not father of the year material or anything, but I want to try."

Though Rachel has a million words buzzing through her head and about half of them are in the tip of her tongue in that moment, she swallows them all. Instead, she chooses to reach out and wrap her fingers around his.

---

When Mrs. Puckerman calls Puck down to dinner, Rachel trails after him and accepts his mother's (overzealous) offer to join them for dinner.

The four of them sit around the dinner table and Rachel thinks it's not at all as awkward as the last time she was there with Quinn.

She also can't help but notice the way his mother looks between her and Puck with a shining gleam in her eyes.

After dinner is over and Rachel has helped Puck with the dishes, he walks her to her car.

"Your mom's very… nice," Rachel tells him.

"She's kind of in love with you, in case you didn't notice."

"Probably because I'm a nice Jewish girl. And I'm also not the girl you got pregnant, making your mother a young grandmother. I imagine that wins me some points."

"Yeah, my mom wishes I got _you _pregnant," he laughs.

Rachel laughs with him, but it's uneasy.

"It's pretty cold out, so you'd better get home," he says, rubbing his hands down her arms before opening her car door for her.

She waves goodbye to him as she pulls out of his driveway and on the way home, she might have images of what a baby with Puck would look like. Big, hazel eyes, a thousand-watt smile, and a killer voice.

But by the time she pulls into her own driveway, the image is gone.

It's replaced with images of bright, shinning lights, stages, and packed theatres.

---

Rachel finds Quinn in bed, hunched over a stack of books and a pencil tapping against a notebook.

"Hey," Rachel says from her doorway.

"Oh, hey. Where have you been? You missed dinner."

"I was at Noah's. I ate dinner there."

Quinn's eyebrow arches. "Really?"

"Yes. Mrs. Puckerman invited me and I couldn't really refuse her." She walks further into the room and sets herself down on the side of Quinn's bed.

"Because she likes you and hates me," Quinn groans, falling back against the headboard.

"Well, you are making her a grandmother at a very young age. Making her son a father at very young age."

"It's not like I did this by myself," she bites.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that," she begins carefully. "I really thinks he wants to be a part of this, Quinn. He wants to be a father to the baby. I know you wanted to do this alone, but you said it yourself - you didn't do this by yourself. This is Noah's baby, too, and I think if you just let him try… he'd do a good job."

"Did he ask you to say that?"

"No."

"What are you? His best friend or something?" She looks Rachel over before asking, "Or his girlfriend?"

"No," she says again, but it's less resolute as before. She is not Puck's girlfriend, but the thought makes her heart kick. "I just think that he's the baby's father and maybe you should give him a chance. Who knows? He might surprise you."

Quinn nods tightly.

---

It hurts Rachel more than she thought it would when she sees Finn and Quinn walking down the hallway hand-in-hand.

She freezes when she sees them and forgets how she was the one who broke it off with Finn and she was the one who told Quinn to be with him if she still loved him. She forgets all of that and simply focuses on the way their hands are fused together and the way her heart is thumping painfully in her chest.

"Hurts like a bitch, huh?" she hears someone whisper harshly in her and it takes her a second to recognize the voice and tear her eyes away from the laughing couple.

"I gave them my blessing. If they want to be together, who am I to stand in their way? If they can withstand everything they've been through and still come together, then maybe they're meant to be. Kind of romantic, if you think about it. Like a movie or something."

"That's bullshit."

"I do not know what you're talking about, Noah."

"It's not like a movie. It's… weird. She's having _my_ kid and yet that idiot Finn still wants to be with her? It's weird."

"Is it weird because someone wants to be with her despite the fact that she's having a child with someone else or because she's not with you?"

"I'm _totally_ over Quinn."

"Right," she drawls, rolling her eyes.

"You're over Finn, aren't you? You were bat shit crazy for him and now you're fine with him being with Quinn. So why is it so hard to believe I'm over Quinn?"

"Because I was never having a baby with Finn."

"Just because I'm having a baby with her doesn't mean I want to be with her. It's pretty obvious she's not into me, so I'm not going to wait around for her like some punk."

"I think that's very wise."

He shrugs. "As insane as you are, you're actually kind of… smart. So, I'm just following your example, I guess.

---

_**April**_

"How in the world are we suppose to do this?"

"Daddy said it was suppose to be easy."

"There's about a million pieces. And no instructions. Maybe we could just put her in a drawer or something."

"You're not putting your child in a drawer!" Rachel gasps. "We're two intelligent women, we can figure out how to put a crib together."

"Yeah, two intelligent women who have no experience with… tools. Or cribs."

They stand together in Quinn's bedroom, surveying the pieces of Rachel's old crib laid out before them on the ground.

"Hey guys, whatcha doing?," Finn asks when he pops up in Quinn's doorway.

"Oh thank goodness! Reinforcements." Quinn throws her arms around Finn before pointing to the pieces of the crib. "You know how to put things together, right?"

"Uh… what's that suppose to be? A crib or something?"

"Yes. Do you think you could help us put it together? Rachel says the baby can't sleep in a drawer."

"I can try."

Finn sets to work, trying to fit the pieces of the crib together while Quinn and Rachel look on.

"Need some help?"

All three turn towards the direction of the doorway to find Puck standing there, hands in his pockets and a small smile on his lips.

"Why are you here?" Quinn asks.

"Because it looks like you guys could use some help."

"Who called you?"

"Rachel."

Quinn's head whips in the direction of Rachel, but she shrugs and says, "If he helped make the baby, he can at least help to make the place the baby's going to sleep. Besides, we can use all the help we can get."

"Fine," Quinn relents. "Just don't mess it up."

It takes them five hours, three phone calls to Rachel's dad, and a lot of swear words, but the four of them finally manage to put the crib together (that is up to par with Rachel's standard of perfection).

They stand together, admiring their work proudly. Finn slings his arm around Quinn's shoulders and Puck and Rachel share a secret smile.

Quinn thanks them all, though those words come out begrudgingly when she turns to Puck. But when he smiles at her and tells her it was no problem, she lets him feel the baby kick.

---

"So, thanks for calling me and inviting me to help," Puck tells her when Rachel volunteers to walk him out.

"Of course. We might not have ever gotten it put together if it wasn't for you."

"I dunno. You probably would have managed. You're pretty damn determined. You are Rachel Berry, after all."

She gleams when he says the words (and her name) just like that with a smile just like the one he's wearing. It makes her heart accelerate and she can feel her blood pulsing hotly through her veins, even in the cool air.

"I know Quinn doesn't believe me, but I really do wanna be a dad to this baby. A good one. Thanks for believing in me, Rachel. I don't think I deserve it, not from you, but… thank you."

"I do believe you, Noah."

She isn't sure what propels her to do so, but she places her hand softly on his cheek, her fingers stroking the warm skin she finds there. She smiles when she sees his eyes flutter for a moment.

"And for whatever it's worth, I think you'll be a great dad to this baby," she adds in a whisper.

He grabs her hand that's on his cheek and pulls it away, squeezing her fingers tightly and holds them until he finally gets in his truck.

---

Puck begins driving Rachel home on the days that Quinn leaves school with Finn.

Sometimes, they go to his house first and she ends up eating dinner with his family at his mother's insistence. Or, on nights when his mom works the late shift, she stays and helps his sister with her homework and eats takeout around the coffee table.

When he takes her straight home, he usually stays with her and plays guitar while she sings. Or watches a movie with her (he usually doesn't pay attention, though, because she always picks something lame. Instead, he focuses on the rise and fall of her chest and the changes that flicker across her face as the movie progresses). They usually wind up closer together when the movie started, but always pull apart when Quinn or her fathers return home.

The night that Rachel's fathers invite him to stay for dinner is the first night he thinks Rachel might be more than just his friend and it freaks him the hell out. He's never had dinner with a chick's parents before.

But then he remembers he's never had a girl over to meet his mother and Rachel regularly has dinner with her.

He stays for dinner (with Rachel, her two gay dads, and Quinn) and he thinks they're not half bad. They don't treat him like he's a loser or like he's a monumental screw up for getting Quinn pregnant and he thinks it's actually kind of refreshing.

Her family is half-normal and it completely surprises him.

What surprises him even more is that when he thinks of the future - with Quinn and the baby - Rachel is there, too. He's coming to dinner with her and her fathers and it's actually pretty nice.

When she walks him to his truck that night, he kisses her. It's slow and soft, but it makes her heart race. And when he leaves her with just a peck to her forehead, she's left wanting more.

Rachel doesn't think anything (else) will really change between them, but when she shows up to school the next day, Puck meets her in the parking lot and holds her hand all the way to class.

He kisses her again, when he drops her off at home, after school, and Rachel is certain that everything has changed between them.

---

"I think I might be falling in love with Noah," Rachel confesses to Quinn one evening when she comes home from making out with Puck.

Quinn looks up from her homework she's doing in bed. "Duh," she retorts.

She lets out an agitated sigh, running a hand through her hair. "He's about to be a father. To my friend's baby."

"So?"

---

When Puck shows up at her door, Rachel can't help the smile stretches wide across her face or the way her heart begins to beat in that quick, familiar rhythm.

But when he asks for Quinn, her smile falls along with her heart.

"She's at a doctor's appointment," she tells him evenly.

"Damn. I thought it was at four. I wanted to take her."

"Oh, well Finn took her."

She starts to close the door, but he reaches his hand and forces it back open.

"What? I can't come in?"

"I thought you were only here for Quinn."

Puck has the audacity to laugh as he squeezes his way inside, brushing past her purposefully as he does so.

"Are you mad or something?"

"No. Why would I be mad?" she asks, but her voice cracks slightly and she stands close to the door, her arms crossed over her chest.

He shrugs. "Because maybe you thought I was here for you, not Quinn."

"I don't care that you want to see Quinn," she tells him, but she's looking at the floor instead of at him.

"You know, Rachel, for someone who wants to be an actress, you're a terrible liar."

Her head snaps up and her eyes narrow on him. "You take that back, Noah Puckerman!"

He smiles - that winning, teeth-bearing, eye shinning smile of his - as he struts back to where she stands. "I'm sorry," he whispers, rubbing his hands down her arms. "You're a great actress."

"Thank you."

"Look. Rachel, I don't know what's… I like you, okay?" He drops his hands from her and rubs one of them down the back of his neck. "As totally freaking insane as you are, I like you. God help me."

"Are you suppose to be flattering me right now? Because you're not doing a very good job."

"I don't know what's going to happen. With Quinn or the baby. But you don't have to be jealous. I love the baby, that doesn't mean I love Quinn. I want to be for her, sure, while she's going through all this stuff and when the baby's born, but… I don't want to be with her."

She looks up at him with wide eyes and with her heart hammering she asks, "Then who do you want to be with, Noah?"

He smiles again, curling his fingers into her hair before he tilts her head to kiss her.

"I think you already know."

---

_**May**_

"Rachel!"

She starts with just a whisper, but by the fourth time she whispers her name and she still hasn't stirred, Quinn finally screams it and Rachel is springing awake.

"What?" she mumbles sleepily.

"I think I'm in labor."

"Oh my God!" she screeches jumping out of bed.

She scurries around, throwing clothes on and grabbing the bag she packed for Quinn all while reminding Quinn to breathe like they learned in Lamaze class.

"Code Red! Code Red!" she shouts down the hallway to her dads.

They both scramble down the stairs, still dressed in their pajamas, but keys in hand, and they drive the girls to the hospital in four minutes flat.

---

"Just breathe," Rachel tries to soothe to Quinn, gripping her hand, as she struggles through another contraction.

"You try breathing through this!" Quinn screams.

"Maybe you could try the visualization technique that you learned. It's suppose to take your mind off the pain. I was reading and research has actually proved that it-"

Quinn just shoots her a look and it shuts her up instantly.

"Is it suppose to hurt this much?" Quinn pants, looking helplessly at Rachel. "Can't they give me the drugs or something?"

"Not until you're further along."

Quinn groans, falling gracelessly back against the heap of pillows stacked behind her in the hospital bed.

"Maybe I could go ask the doctor…"

Rachel starts to get up, but Quinn squeezes her hand and forces her back down to the stool beside her bed. "Don't leave me alone here!"

Just on cue, Finn shuffles through the door cautiously, looking… scared.

"See. Finn's here and can stay with you while I go get the doctor."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Finn asks, looking around nervously and remaining near the doorway.

"No, not at all." Rachel releases Quinn's hand and goes to Finn. "You'll stay with her while I'm gone, right Finn?"

He grabs her arm and prevents her from leaving. "Please don't leave," he begs. "All this medical stuff really freaks me out. I heard this woman screaming down the hall…"

"You'll be fine," she assures him, patting his arm before she goes. She catches Finn hugging Quinn out of the corner of her eye and it makes her smile.

---

"Hey, Rachel!"

She hears her name - in that low, familiar voice - being called out as she's making her way back to Quinn's room, but it's enough to stop her in her tracks and spin around.

"Noah," she breathes and wraps her arms around him when he's before her.

"How's she doing?"

"I guess as well as to be expected when one's in labor."

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks for calling me."

"Of course. You should be here. It's your baby, too."

He smiles before he takes her hand and they walk back to Quinn's room together.

---

When it's all said and done, Quinn is in labor for thirteen long hours.

Rachel, Finn, and Puck are all there (Quinn screams at the nurse who tells her she can only have one person with her) when the baby makes it's grand entrance into the world - screaming at the top of her lungs.

It is Rachel's voice that is the first to break through the baby's cries and announces that she's going to be a singer with lungs like those.

Puck cuts the cord with shaking hands while Finn holds Quinn's hand.

The nurse holds out the baby for Puck to take, but he tells her that Quinn should be the first one to hold her. She is her mother, after all.

When she's placed against Quinn's chest, the blonde cries and presses kisses to her daughter's forehead, whispering promises of love.

Puck is next, cradling the baby carefully against his chest. But he turns when he whispers something into her ear, so no one can hear. And so no one can see the tears swimming in his eyes.

He hands the baby to Rachel who carefully strokes her chubby cheeks and tells her she's going to be a star, she just knows it.

Finn asks to hold the baby and with Rachel's help, he holds the baby and smiles down at her with awe.

"Well, you certainly are loved, aren't you?"

---

When the boys have gone home, it's just Quinn, Rachel, and the baby.

Rachel crawls into bed beside Quinn, who's got the baby in her arms.

"Have you thought of a name yet?"

"I didn't want to name her until I saw her. See what she looks like first…"

"What do you think she looks like?"

Quinn looks at the sleeping baby in her arms. "Violet."

"Violet," Rachel repeats easily, a smile on her lips. "I like it. It's definitely the name of a star."

"Then Violet it is."

"What about a middle name?"

Quinn looks down at the baby and then at Rachel and says softly, "You pick."

"Really?"

She nods.

Rachel looks at the baby, running her fingers across the baby's downy soft blonde hair and considers it before she answers with "Caroline. Violet Caroline."

"I think it's perfect."

---

Rachel finds Puck on her front porch when she finally goes home.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be back at the hospital with Quinn and Violet?"

"Violet?" he questions.

She smiles and sits down beside him on the steps. "Quinn named her Violet. She even let me choose her middle name - Caroline."

"Really?" he smirks, glancing over at her. "Violet Caroline."

"Do you like it?"

"I, um… I think it's a great name," he chokes out. "I still can't even believe I have a kid."

"I think this is when the hard part starts."

"You're going to be here though, right? To help me… us?"

She nods, swallowing back tears, and threads her fingers with his. "I'm not going anywhere."

They sit together on her porch in silence, but when Rachel can't sit still with the sparks that she feels pulsing through her, she turns to him and kisses the corners of his lips.

"You never told me. Why are you here instead of at the hospital?"

"Because I just had to see you."

He kisses the smile that forms on her lips away.

---

Puck drives about ten miles per hour when he takes Quinn and Violet home from the hospital.

When Quinn complains from the backseat with the baby, he only drives slower. It takes them nearly twenty minutes to get home from the hospital.

But when they finally do, Rachel is waiting for them. With flowers and balloons and cookies baked into stork shapes and decorated with pink icing.

"Welcome home, Violet," Rachel coos to the baby.

---

Violet cries and Rachel hurries to her side because she left Quinn passed out on the sofa.

She scoops the baby up and settles into the rocking chair that her dads bought for Quinn. She sings a lullaby softly to the baby while she rocks her and before she knows it, the baby is calm and her eyes are fluttering.

"You're good with her," Puck rasps quietly from the doorway.

"I think she just remembers my voice. Studies have shown that babies can recognize voices outside the womb. Since I sang to her so much when Quinn was pregnant with her, she must remember."

"That's pretty cool."

He walks further into the room and kneels beside Rachel and Violet.

"I know this is all pretty messed up. I'm 17 and have a daughter with your new BFF whose with my, uh… friend, I guess. And we're…"

She arches her eyebrow, waiting.

"Shut up, Rachel," he grumbles and takes the baby from her arms.

He kisses Violet's forehead before he puts her down in her crib. His eyes are focused on her before he feels Rachel's arms wrap around him.

"So what? You into hot single dads or something?"

She runs her hand down his chest before whispering against his neck, "Yes."

He spins quickly and presses her lip to hers before she can yelp in surprise.

He doesn't want to wake the baby.

---

The house is very rarely quiet.

There is often a crying or cooing baby.

There is normally a house full of people. Talking or laughing or singing.

The members of glee club visit often, almost always bringing gifts and music. And always fighting over who gets to hold the baby next.

Finn constantly hovers over Quinn and dotes on Violet, singing her silly songs and playing with her mountain of stuffed animals.

And Puck is usually there. Lingering over the baby, talking to her in hushed tones so no one can know the secrets of the world he shares with his daughter. He feeds her and changes her and rocks her to sleep when Quinn is at the end of her rope.

Rachel is there for all of it. Standing by Quinn and Puck and Violet. Reveling in what it feels like to have a house filled with friends and love and laughter (even if that involves tears and frustration and sleepless nights).

Her fathers spoil Quinn and Violet. And she thinks that maybe this is what it would have felt like to have a sister.

Or a friend.

---

On a night when the house is particular still, Rachel creeps into Quinn's room, expecting to find them both asleep.

Instead she finds Quinn in bed, Violet in her arms, and a lullaby floating softly from Quinn's lips to the baby.

"Hey," Quinn greets her softly when she spies Rachel in the doorway. "Want to join us?"

Rachel doesn't have to be asked twice and joins Quinn in bed and finishes the song she was singing to the baby with her, just as Violet falls asleep.

"Kind of crazy to believe she's been in the world for four weeks, isn't it?"

"It almost seems like she's always been here. I can't even remember the last time I didn't wake up in the middle of the night to a baby crying."

Quinn shoots her a look.

"I suppose I can forgive her, though. When she's old enough, she's going to appreciate that lung capacity. Especially when I train her properly."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Quinn, proper vocal coaching can never come too soon," she tells her seriously.

Quinn just laughs.

"Can we join the party?"

They look up to find Finn and Puck in the doorway.

"Always room for more," Quinn tells them and waves them inside.

Quinn and Rachel scoot together to make room for the boys.

Finn slides next to Quinn, kissing her forehead and smiling down at the baby in her arms.

Puck settles easily beside Rachel, slinging an arm around her shoulder and kissing her fully on the lips.

"Hey, none of that!" Quinn scolds playfully. "You don't want to end up with one of these," she tells them, nodding towards the baby in her arms.

They pull apart. Puck chuckles and Rachel blushes.

"How's my girl today?" Puck asks, looking down at Violet.

"Perfect, like always."

"Of course," he drawls. "She's my kid."

They all roll their eyes and laugh.

"I think she gets that from Quinn," Finn tells them seriously but it causes them all to laugh again. Even Puck this time.

They all fall quiet and watch Violet - the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the way her eyes flutter in her sleep.

"This is really freaking weird," Puck says, breaking the silence.

No one retorts right away. They look at each other - and the sleeping baby in Quinn's arms - and who they're with.

And they realize he's right.

What they have is completely dysfunctional.

So no one says anything and they remain in silence, watching the baby sleep.

Because even if it is dysfunctional, it's also pretty perfect.


End file.
